Allegheny County District 1

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Re-Elect Councilman Tom Baker for Allegheny County Council (District 1)

County Councilman Tom Baker was elected on November 5, 2013 to represent District 1 in Allegheny County. He previously served as a School Director in the North Hills School District. Councilman Baker serves on several committees including Economic Development and Housing, Education, Health and Human Services, and Public Safety. He represents over 100,000 residents in Aleppo, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Coraopolis, Emsworth, Findlay, Glen Osborne, Glenfield, Haysville, Kilbuck, Moon, North Fayette, Ross Township, and West View on Allegheny County Council. Councilman Baker is the Chief Community Affairs Officer (previously served as Vice President of Programs) for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh and has volunteered as a Big Brother to his BBBS little brothers, Preston (since 2002), Eric (since 2010), and E.J. (since 2015). In his professional role at BBBS Tom oversees volunteer recruitment, child recruitment, volunteer trainings, government affairs, partnerships, and has shared on behalf of the agency at over 100 events each of the last seven years. He coordinates the BIG Recruitment Board, Young Professional Outreach Board, Youth Outcomes Advisory Board, Washington County Advisory Board, and BIG Alumni Association. BBBS of Greater Pittsburgh has been named the National Agency of the Year two of the previous four years out of more than 300 affiliate agencies across the country.

He is the President of Baker Leadership and author of three books: Get Involved! Making the Most of Your 20s and 30s (released 2008) Give Our Passion (released 2010), and Empowered in Pittsburgh (released 2012). Since February 2008, Councilman Baker has spoken with over 75,000 students, young professionals, and community leaders at over 500 colleges, corporations, professionals associations, and civic groups across the country. Councilman Baker is the Founder and Chief Program Officer of Get Involved!, Inc., a 501c3 public charity non-profit organization that educates and empowers young leaders through the annual Pittsburgh Service Summit, Fast Track Community Leadership program, Power Hour series, and Student Empowership Conference.

Councilman Baker completed two terms as President of the Pittsburgh East Rotary Club and served as Assistant District Governor for Rotary District 7300. He is also Past President of the National Speakers Association Pittsburgh, Past President of the Coro Pittsburgh Alumni Council, Past President of the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project Board, Vice Chair of the Pittsburgh Jobs Corps Center Community Relations Council, and Co-Chair of the United States Army Advisory Board. He currently serves on the boards of North Hills Community Outreach, Visit Pittsburgh, Breathe PA, and Special Olympics of PA and previously served on the boards of Pittsburgh Cares, LifeSpan, National Student Partnerships, and the Baierl Family YMCA. Councilman Baker was appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve on the Professional Standards and Practices Commission in October 2012. He was Student Body President while earning his Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Millersville University and served as President of the Associates for Student Development during completion of his graduate studies in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Indiana University of PA. The Thomas Justin Baker Person of the Year Award was established in 2001 and is presented annually to a top leader on campus at Millersville.

In 2009, he received the Distinguished Civic Leadership Award from Millersville University and in 2014 Councilman Baker was honored with the Young Alumni Achievement Award at the Millersville Honors and Awards Convocation. The Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce selected him as the 2011 Young Business Leader of the Year, Pittsburgh Magazine named him a “40 Under 40” honoree in 2014, In Community Magazine named Councilman Baker as the 2014 Volunteer of the Year for Ross Township, and he received the 2015 Indiana University of PA Young Alumni Achievement Award. Tom was named a 2010 Jefferson Award for Public Service honoree by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, received the Public Sector Leader Award at the 2011 RISE Changemaker Awards, was one of the 2011 “Faces” of Gilda’s Club, received the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award from the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, and was recognized as a 2013 Fast Tracker honoree by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Councilman Baker and his wife, Erin, have been married since 2004 and live in Ross Township. They attend Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church where Councilman Baker serves monthly as a Worship Assistant at services. The Baker’s fund and present annual scholarships to students at Millersville University, Indiana University of PA, and North Hills High School and were honored as one of the “Couples for a Cure” in 2012 by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.